Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Cookie Monday: Potato Chip Cookies

My beloved Denise sent me this recipe the other day and told me I needed to make it for Cookie Monday. While she lives in Oregon and does not get to reap the benefits of my cookie-baking, I love that she thought of me and am thankful she passed this recipe along.

I know it sounds weird. Potato chips in cookies? I swear though, it's really great. These taste a lot like pecan sandies. The original recipe called for "potato chip salt" which basically was just adding extra salt and potato chips on top, which I felt was overkill. It also suggested dipping the cookies in melted chocolate, which I'm sure would taste good but is also a little but of overkill. I liked the cookies plain. They aren't salty at all, which is why the recipe suggests adding more salt. I didn't know how many cookies this recipe would yield so I took a guess and made one-and-a-half batches. I got about 55 cookies. Less than I would have liked, but enough!

This is where I should point out that this contains nuts. I forgot to tell one of my coworkers and nearly killed her. Make sure you tell people when you put nuts in things. Sorry, Barb :(

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter with 1/2 cup of the sugar until lightly and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and table salt, if using, until smooth. Add the pecans, 1/2 cup crushed potato chips and flour together and mix until just combined.

2. Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop a tablespoon-sized mound of dough and form it into a small ball with the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in the remaining sugar until coated. Place on prepared baking sheet and using the bottom of a drinking glass to slightly flatten the cookies. Cookies only need to be an inch apart; they only spread a little. Repeat with remaining dough.

3. Bake cookies until lightly golden at the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer to cool on a wire rack.